54 years old, why did Li Zhen choose to escape from the system?
In Li Zhen's view, the meaning of life is not to achieve fame, but to when you can live for yourself. And his answer did not appear at the age of 18 or 36, but at the age of 54. This year, as the prefect of Yao'an, Yunnan, his three-year term expired, and the superior leaders wanted to recommend him to the imperial court. However, Li Zhen ran away after hearing the news of his promotion, and insisted on resigning. Why did this prefect choose to escape the system and start anew?
More than 20 years of officialdom: honest and arrogant.
Li Zhen did not shout the great principle of governing the country and serving the people, he regarded the imperial examination as only a means and a social profession. Despite his reluctance to go along with the rules, he has excelled in both word-of-mouth and performance. His official income was meagre, not even enough to make ends meet. In order to assume the responsibilities of the family and the family, he put away his tentacles and walked forward in the dark, lonely and painful.
The sufferings and tribulations of life.
This middle-aged Confucian student shouldered a heavy burden, and under great pressure in his heart, he endured it silently, not daring to submit to his personality. He knew that the meaning of life was to live for his wife, children, parents, and family, but he never lived for himself. Li Zhen experienced poverty, starvation, and the loss of loved ones, but his persistence has never changed.
The decision to escape the system: why choose Huang'an, Hubei?
At the age of 54, Li Zhen resigned and chose to flee the system. He believes that family responsibilities are done and it is time to live for himself. Choosing Huang'an, Hubei Province, as his sojourn, he broke away from traditional expectations and pursued independence, freedom, and individualism. This choice aroused the incomprehension and disgust of the relatives.
refused to return to his hometown of Quanzhou.
Li Zhen refused to return to his hometown of Quanzhou, showing his reluctance to be controlled. He said that life is born to be controlled, whether in officialdom or in the family. He would rather drift around and not return home than go with the flow and choose to get rid of the traditional family concept.
Individuality and rebellion against tradition.
Li Zhen's thinking transcended the times of the time, advocating individuality and opposing the bureaucracy and traditional rituals. He invited Confucius down from the altar, denied Confucius and Mencius's status as saints, and advocated that everyone could be holy. He criticized Cheng Zhu Lixue and smashed the shackles of etiquette and religion of "preserving heavenly principles and destroying human desires". Li Zhen challenged the defense of men and women, spoke for women, openly recruited women, and showed his insistence on gender equality.
A singer whose life is not old, and whose thoughts are not old.
Li Zhen is a singer whose life can grow old and his thoughts will never grow old. His courage and hardship made him an enlightener in the late Ming Dynasty and set an example for the later intellectual elite. His iconoclastic and enlightenment spirit was revived again in the May Fourth era, and he became an important teacher of the enlightenment masters.
The price and triumph of enlightenment.
Enlighteners are often referred to as fire-stealers, risking ruin. Li Zhen paid the price for opposing hypocritical Taoism, but his ideas eventually triumphed among posterity. His persistence and rebellion became the price of enlightenment and pointed the way for the later intellectual elite.
Epilogue. Li Zhen's philosophy of life and enlightenment spirit is a rebellious path of Confucianism. His choice and persistence influenced later times and became one of the founders of Enlightenment thought. The story of his life is like a ballad, with an unconventional melody and a banner of individuality.
Li Zhen's life and thoughts show the extraordinary life of a Confucian scholar, and his choices and persistence have had a profound impact on later eras. In this article, we witness Li Zhen's conflicts with his family in officialdom, as well as his courage and determination to choose to flee the system at the age of 54.
First of all, Li Zhen showed Confucianism's incorruptibility and perseverance in his officialdom career. He did not regard officialdom as an honor, but as a means of social profession. is different from those who shout about governing the country and leveling the world, he pays more attention to practical actions and honest personal morality. Although he experienced a series of difficulties, he was unwilling to go along with the same stream and maintained the independence of Confucianism.
Secondly, Li Zhen's life has a contradiction between family responsibilities and personality pursuits. As a middle-aged man, he shoulders too many responsibilities and lives for his wife, children, parents, and family, but he does not live for himself. This contradiction forced him to put away his personality and move forward in the dark, experiencing loneliness and pain. His life story shows how the conflict between personal and family responsibilities can be troubling in traditional societies, and this is one of the reasons why he chose to flee the system.
The 54-year-old decision shows us Li Zhen's pursuit of personal value and freedom. Escaping from the system and choosing Huang'an, Hubei, he showed his desire for independence, freedom and individualism. This decision was not only to escape family responsibilities, but also to find the independent life he had longed for for most of his life. His choice reveals a rejection of traditional expectations and a redefinition of his own life.
Li Zhen's thinking transcended the times of the time, advocating individuality and opposing the bureaucracy and traditional rituals. His rejection of Confucius and Mencius, as well as his criticism of Cheng Zhu Lixue, demonstrate his insistence on individuality and free thought. In an era that emphasized uniform standards and imprisoned thoughts, his courage and persistence laid the foundation for later enlightenment thought.
In the end, Li Zhen's philosophy of life and enlightenment spirit became the enlightenment teacher of the intellectual elite later. His iconoclastic and individualistic ideas were revived during the May Fourth era, and he became an important teacher for the masters of the Enlightenment. His choices, ideas, and courage set an example for later intellectuals and became a shining star in the development of Chinese culture.
Overall, the story of Li Zhen's life shows the rebellious path of a Confucian scholar, his struggle between officialdom and family, tradition and individuality, and his pursuit of freedom and independence, which left valuable inspiration for later eras. His ideas and courage shine brightly in the history of Chinese culture, setting up a monument to the value of individuality and freedom.
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